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ZLX Flashback: Blizzard of ’78 Assaults New England

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On this day 35 years ago, the infamous “Blizzard of ’78” buried Boston in snow after launching its devastating assault on the northeast the night before. It killed dozens, left tens of thousands of New England citizens without homes, power or heat, and stranded many in their cars.

Some people clearly didn’t trust the meteorologists’ predictions of potentially snowfall – and not much has changed. It’s always been close to impossible to predict what Mother Nature throws at us here in New England.

It wasn’t long before the snowfall intensified during the day on February 6, 1978. Soon cars began getting stranded on the roads and highways, unable to get home or wherever they tried to go. The roads were not the only thing devastated by the storm though: practically the entire region was stopped dead in its tracks.

(AP Photo/File)

(AP Photo)

Some insane stats about the storm:

All-time snowfall: Boston received a record 23.6 inches of snow.

Boston marathon: The entire storm lasted nearly 36 hours.

Blowin’ in the Wind: The strongest recorded wind gusts in Boston were 79 mph.

New parking lot: Around 3,500 cars were stranded along Route 128.

At what cost: Repairs to homes and buildings damaged or lost in the storm totaled about $1 billion.

Worst of all, 99 people died and about 2,000 homes were destroyed, leaving over 10,000 people in storm shelters. It remains the biggest and most devastating storm to ever hit New England, and perhaps the entire Northeast.